Stop and Search Debate

[georgit79]

Home Office Minister Hazel Blears has said people should not stopped and searched just because they are Muslim. Do you think stop and search can be an effective measure? How can Muslim leaders prevent young people from being drawn into extremism?

I think the police should be allowed to stop whoever they consider to be a threat. If they have identified groups which are most likely to pose a threat, then they should be given the freedom to do their job and protect ALL of us. Ignoring this in favour of quotas due to political correctness (that word again!) means that their time is not being spent in the most efficient manner.

What are your views?

[ICEMANSAV]

I think you know mine;-), I would say that is an obvious point that the suspects have all been of one particular faith, and therefore due to the increased likelihood of suspects belonging to that faith, it would be fair to proportion the searches in reflection to previous crimes.

[Paddymanc]

I agree, just bast on statistics, the next bomber will more likely to look Asian/north african. I think stopping 70 year old white females will be a waste of time. I know when I travel to the USA I embrace all the securty checks which are done on myself.

[londondave]

In the arly 80s I was a Punk with a red mohican. (I still am alternative) I used to get stopped and searched frequently because of the way I look. Probably looking for drugs or weapons not really sure, but accepted it unlike some of mates who mouthed off and got taken to the station. Sometimes had a laugh with them, like once I had some handcuffs on my leather jacket, the copper asked if I had the keys, I said "Yeah Why Do you wanna swap" looking at his" 

I would be happy to comply with stop and search.

I once had an E on me in the mid 90s on the vway to a rave which I gave to the police when asked If I had anything I shouldnt. I was made to grind it into the ground. "What about the ants getting high I said" The copper then said he probably would not have found that in a routine search anyway.

[mfewell]

C4 News last night made the point that stop and search is not to catch suicide bombers but to reassure the public. How reassuring is it ? Picture it, police officer approaches a person who has explosives strapped around him/herself (and of any age, skin colour, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status with or without children). What happens next ?

 

Whatever we pay our police it's not enough.

[BigDogsWang]

The worrying thing is Muslims are stereotyped. A few of those captured on CCTV on 21/07 did not look like your stereotypical Muslims. It is also possible to be a white Muslim.

I'm afraid therefore that stop and search will prevent nothing, as terrorist cells can probably call upon the services of suicide bombers who do not fall into the stereotypical Muslim look. 

[Grunty]

If the police knew that at a particular time, a series of burglaries were being done by men in their twenties with green jackets, which people would you expect them to pick on?  In the current situation it is hard for the law-abiding vast majority of people of Asian appearance, but doesn't it make sense for the police to check them out?

Since the bombings, the tenor of comments on the police has changed from very disparaging to very complimentary.  It reminds me of Rudyard Kipling when he said

'It's Tommy this and Tommy that, and chuck him out the brute, but it's thank you Mr Atkins when the guns begin to shoot'.